Just as team colours are worn in a show of support, the club anthem
has become an essential ingredient in the fan culture of AFL.
SOUND OFF
ONE OF the more unique aspects of AFL
is the club song. It is essentially entrance
music as teams run through their
respective banners prior to every game,
while the winners tune is played after the
match is over. Fans will sing along with
gusto, especially if it's the latter.
Most clubs adopted the rhythm of
a powerful tune, such as the Brisbane
Lions's take on the French national
anthem La Marseillaise. Others have
started from scratch, such as the Greater
Western Sydney Giants who enlisted the
help of The Cat Empire's Harry Angus
to come up with their bolshie beat.
If this all seems a little frivolous, it's
worth recalling the case of Fremantle.
Bearing the shame of a song that's
routinely the butt of jokes around the
league, the Dockers opted to have a vote
on Freo Heave Ho in 2011 (it was introduced
in 1995, when the team was created).
Members had the choice of three new
songs, including a number from WA
rockers Eskimo Joe and a reworked version
of the original. They went with the latter.
It can be a complex game for
the unfamiliar. Here's how to
make sense of the screeching.
A 50-metre
penalty in action.
132 | virginaustralia
MARCH
PLAY {afl}
Photography: Ge y Images